Alex Van Halen Spurned By Al Roker During Flight to New York

Al Roker and Van Halen drummer Alex Van Halen engaged in a silent argument on Monday before a flight from Los Angeles to New York. The New York Post reports that Roker was seated between Van Halen and his wife Stine Schyberg, and refused to switch seats to accommodate the couple.

Roker’s explanation was that he’s allergic to dogs, and by kowtowing to Alex he’d be three seats away from a nearby pooch instead of four. The drummer had a window seat, Roker was beside him and Schyberg was across the aisle. Eddie Van Halen and his wife Janie Liszewski were seated behind them, presumably next to each other.

“Al was looking at his phone, desperately trying to ignore the whole situation,” an unidentified spy told the Post. After American Airlines agents were unable to convince Roker to switch first-class seats, Alex and Stine swapped seats with two passengers in business class. The weatherman then gave his new aislemates a hardy welcome as they sat down around him.

To his credit, the source says that Alex handled the situation as calmly as one wouldn’t expect from a rock star, although his wife was considerably more irritated. The band is preparing to release an album and begin a tour in February, and a visit to the ‘Today’ show could put the complainants in the same room once again.

The Post says NBC would not comment on the incident or Roker’s behavior. Perhaps he wasn’t on a phone call at all, but instead busily ordering the new Chickenfoot album.